Clay and Sway by Duali 马克杯 by Duali Studio

Clay and Sway by Duali 马克杯 by Duali Studio is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award 铜奖 in 烘焙用具、餐具、饮具与炊具设计 Competition Category.

铜厨具· 2026

Clay and Sway by Duali 马克杯

by Duali Studio

Client: Duali Studio

A' Design Award 铜奖 Winner in 厨具 Category

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Colors

The Design

About Clay and Sway by Duali 马克杯

Duali以「陶与摇曳」马克杯为构想，意在于两种对立却又和谐的元素之间创造对话——瓷器（陶）冷峻而坚硬的恒久感，与流苏（摇曳）柔软而灵动的动态感相互交融。设计的挑战在于打造一件不仅仅静置于桌面，而是真正「活」在桌面上的器物。这是一次探索，探究一件静态物件如何被赋予生命的气息。马克杯上手工泼溅的墨彩纹样，确保世上没有两只马克杯完全相同。流苏则手工系结于钻孔之中，确保两种材质之间呈现出干净而真诚的连接。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 铜奖

Clay and Sway by Duali 马克杯是 A' Design Award 铜奖得主，这是授予以创造力、独创性和敏锐见长的杰出设计的极具声望的认可。铜奖得主是技艺娴熟、创意惊人的作品，印证了其设计师丰富的经验、想象力与机智。预计Clay and Sway by Duali 马克杯将成为一件备受推崇、令人钦佩且被珍爱的物品，兼具显著的专业性与创新性。这件赢得 A' Design Award 铜奖的设计融入艺术、科学、设计和技术领域的最佳实践，并因注重细节而出类拔萃。Clay and Sway by Duali 马克杯出色地满足需求，触动渴望，迷住情感，并吸引好奇心。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Clay and Sway mug is a minimalist porcelain canvas, made dramatic with spontaneous, hand splattered ink pattern which ensures no two mugs are ever identical. The half-moon handle has textile tassels which are not merely glued on. The tassels are meticulously threaded and hand-tied into the precision-drilled apertures which are integrated directly into the handle during its formation. This is a first-of-its kind mug which fuses porcelain and textile into a functional coffee mug.
Dimensions & Packaging: The product dimensions with the handle are 292mm x 76mm x 89mm. We used 3D modelling software for prototyping of handle ergonomics and traditional clay modelling to understand weight and balance. The handle’s specific curvature and the tassel’s weight were meticulously calculated and prototyped using 3D modelling to ensure the perfect balance, preventing any tipping or strain on the wrist. Each tassel is hand-tied and cut to precision to maintain the length with the mug body.
Tags: clay and sway, coffeemugcouture, mug with charms, tassels mug, coffee mug with charms
Production Technology: Our product is entirely handmade from fine porcelain. Each mug is individually hand splattered with glaze which ensures no two mugs are ever identical. Each mug body is individually slip-cast, followed by the manual attachment of its handle. We then drill the handle's apertures before the piece undergoes a patient, multi-day air-drying process. The final assembly is an entirely manual stage: skilled artisans, who specialise in intricate thread work, personally tie every tassel to the cured porcelain, ensuring each mug meets our standards of craftsmanship.
Design Challenge: Finding the right textile for the mug that is so functional in use was one of the hardest challenge. Our objective was to identify a material with three key performance attributes - exceptional colorfastness, rapid drying capabilities, and shape retention. After subjecting a wide range of textiles to rigorous and repeated wash cycles, we successfully finalized a specialized thread that meets these demanding criteria, ensuring both the beauty and longevity of the final product.
Research: Our research objective was to understand technical feasibility, see the market uniqueness, check durability and to understand the user experience. Over eight months, we subjected over 20 different types of textile threads to a series of aging tests. The primary test involved repeated washing cycles in a standard washing machine for the colour bleed, shape deformation and drying time. We used 3D modelling software for rapid prototyping of handle ergonomics to understand weight and balance. The handle’s specific curvature and the tassel’s weight were meticulously calculated and prototyped using 3D modelling to ensure the perfect balance, preventing any tipping or strain on the wrist. We then conducted sessions with a curated group of 20 participants, comprising design professionals, home decor enthusiasts, and daily coffee drinkers.
Inspiration: Why must our most-used daily objects be purely utilitarian? Why can’t they possess the sensory richness, the engagement and personality we expect from couture fashion? We envisioned an object that would not just sit on a table, but live on it. The concept was to create a dialogue between two opposing elements, the cool and rigid permanence of porcelain(clay) and the soft, dynamic movement of textiles(sway). An exploration of how a static object can be imbued with a sense of life.
Project Duration: The ideation of the mug started in July 2024 and the mug was launched in June 2025. The entire mug is handmade in our Duali Studio in India and the textile artisans who specialise in thread work have finished the tassel work in their workshop. Our production is a multi-stage process where semi-finished porcelain bodies are transported to be paired with tassels. They are then packaged back in the studio and are ready for dispatch.
Operation Flow: The function of a mug is to hold a beverage. We transformed its true function from a mundane moment to a sensory experience. The entirely non-adhesive method of attaching the tassels ensures a clean, secure and honest connection between the two materials - porcelain and textile.
Patents: This design has an Indian Registration. Indian Registration number is 463008-001.
Team Members: Nishi Patel
Devika Mistry
Preeti Nag
Image Credits: All the images, videos and the sound belongs to our in-house Duali Studio team.